Officials report 8 new Saudi MERS cases, 3 fatal

Eight new infections of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), including three fatal cases, were reported in the past 2 days, raising the unofficial global total to 122.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA’s) Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed four MERS cases on Sep 7 and four yesterday, providing few details, as has been its custom. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, confirmed four Saudi cases that were reported in the media on Sep 6.

Of the 12 case-patients, at least 7 had contact with a confirmed MERS patient or worked in a hospital with another confirmed case-patient.

Reaction from experts to news of the cases ranged from reassuring to concerned.

The cases reported by the MOH on Sep 7 included an 18-year-old man and 3-year-old girl who were in contact with a confirmed case-patient in Hafar Al-Batin province. They did not have any MERS symptoms and are in good health, the statement said. Their cases were detected by systematic surveillance.